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I finally got some time to play around with my recent purchase of the PiStation case for the Raspberry Pi 4 by RetroFlag. I previously love RetroFlag’s NESPI case, mostly for the awesome SATA SSD enclosure that looks like a game cartridge. My only complaint about the original NESPI was that it came with a gray cartridge… since then, they’ve released a gold cartridge, which I recently purchased for $24 on Amazon. The gold cart is currently my SATA SSD for my Xbox Series X. Hey, if you’re going to have an external storage, you might as well go out in style.
Anyway, I think the PiStation looks amazing. I love the LCD screen (a little small, but it’s serviceable) and the stereo speakers were a real winner for me. Unfortunately, the case does not come with a fan, which I feel is a mistake on RetroFlag’s part. I thought I could use the small Fan Shim by Pimoroni, but it didn’t work. Instead, you must buy a small 30x30mm and mount it on the ceiling of the PiStation (which is the only option as there is no room inside).
You can run the Raspberry Pi 4 without a fan, but it gets incredibly hot. So hot, that I can feel the heat by touch on the bottom of the case… which is never good. That’s really my biggest complaint about the case. Fortunately, the small fan are not expensive, I purchased two (they only came in a pack of two) from Amazon for $7.
I can understand why RetroFlag decided to leave out the fan in the PiStation, as it would make the entire package about $100, which is definitely too much for most people. In fact, even at $90 retail, it is already more than twice as much as a Raspberry Pi and it is easily the most expensive case in production.
I think the small screen and speakers are pretty awesome, and you always have the option of plugging into a larger monitor or television using the full-sized HDMI out in the back. You only get one HDMI out, but, personally speaking, I feel that’s all you ever need. I never use the second HDMI on my Pi.
The screen itself is very small at 4.3 inches, at 800x480 resolution. The stereo speakers will work if you set the audio out through HDMI (which is perhaps set as default). You get physical volume buttons and brightness controls. You also get a button that switch the screen to a 4:3 or 16:9.
Again, it’s a very cool looking case, once you install a fan that you need to purchase separately.
Tip: If you buy a 30x30mm fan, it will come with a red and black wire. The red is positive, you need to plug it into the the “+” pin. Since there are no instructions, but I placed the fan to blow on the Raspberry Pi. I think it’s fine, as I check the temperature on Kodi, and it registered it as a steady 113 degree F, which is very acceptable. I did not feel any heat after using the PiStation with the installed fan… so I feel I did it correctly.
After I installed the fan, I feel more comfortable using the PiStation and would recommend it to any PlayStation fan that wants a cool case for their Raspberry Pi fans. For most people, I feel the price is just too much for them… instead I am going to recommend that they get the second version of the Argon One case, which is heads and shoulders the best case I currently own for the RP4.
Yours,
Anyway, I think the PiStation looks amazing. I love the LCD screen (a little small, but it’s serviceable) and the stereo speakers were a real winner for me. Unfortunately, the case does not come with a fan, which I feel is a mistake on RetroFlag’s part. I thought I could use the small Fan Shim by Pimoroni, but it didn’t work. Instead, you must buy a small 30x30mm and mount it on the ceiling of the PiStation (which is the only option as there is no room inside).
You can run the Raspberry Pi 4 without a fan, but it gets incredibly hot. So hot, that I can feel the heat by touch on the bottom of the case… which is never good. That’s really my biggest complaint about the case. Fortunately, the small fan are not expensive, I purchased two (they only came in a pack of two) from Amazon for $7.
I can understand why RetroFlag decided to leave out the fan in the PiStation, as it would make the entire package about $100, which is definitely too much for most people. In fact, even at $90 retail, it is already more than twice as much as a Raspberry Pi and it is easily the most expensive case in production.
I think the small screen and speakers are pretty awesome, and you always have the option of plugging into a larger monitor or television using the full-sized HDMI out in the back. You only get one HDMI out, but, personally speaking, I feel that’s all you ever need. I never use the second HDMI on my Pi.
The screen itself is very small at 4.3 inches, at 800x480 resolution. The stereo speakers will work if you set the audio out through HDMI (which is perhaps set as default). You get physical volume buttons and brightness controls. You also get a button that switch the screen to a 4:3 or 16:9.
Again, it’s a very cool looking case, once you install a fan that you need to purchase separately.
Tip: If you buy a 30x30mm fan, it will come with a red and black wire. The red is positive, you need to plug it into the the “+” pin. Since there are no instructions, but I placed the fan to blow on the Raspberry Pi. I think it’s fine, as I check the temperature on Kodi, and it registered it as a steady 113 degree F, which is very acceptable. I did not feel any heat after using the PiStation with the installed fan… so I feel I did it correctly.
After I installed the fan, I feel more comfortable using the PiStation and would recommend it to any PlayStation fan that wants a cool case for their Raspberry Pi fans. For most people, I feel the price is just too much for them… instead I am going to recommend that they get the second version of the Argon One case, which is heads and shoulders the best case I currently own for the RP4.
Yours,
- Weekend Gamer
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RetroFlag's PiStation Raspberry Pi 4 Case with LCD screen |
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